Sunday, 7 February 2016

Crochet It - Stained Glass Blanket

Hello, I hope 2016 is being kind to you!
Today I want to introduce you to my first finished project of 2016, it's been a long time in the making so I am very, very glad that I can finally call it finished!

~ Stained Glass Granny Square Blanket ~

Stash Buster & UFO

I first blogged about this project back in 2013, as part of my UFO Hall of Shame, but that's not when I started this project it was actually way back in 2011 that this project first came to life!

Pattern: None I winged it!

Essentially 24 Granny squares joined and then bordered with rows of granny square shells

(two double crochet stitches then a single chain - triple chain on corners) until the desired size is reached then a scalloped edging is added.

It began as a way for me to relax whilst living amongst the boxes shortly after moving home. There was no TV or internet access for about a month and so in the few minutes each day, after reorganising boxes, cooking dinner and falling asleep on the uncomfortable (all we had) dining chairs, I did a little crochet!

Now you might not notice it from the finished object, as it is a little different, but my inspiration actually came from, one of my favourite TV shows, The Big Bang Theory. Amy Farrah Fowler has a lovely Granny Square afghan on her couch which is all edged in black and it seemed like the most suitable project for using all the granny squares I had made!

It's worth noting (probably because I didn't have the internet to hand) that rather than doing a double/treble crochet stitch shell typical of the granny square, I mistakenly did a puff stitch square instead. I can only think to blame muscle memory, as the last thing I had turned out with a crochet hook was my puff stitch beret so my hands just naturally resorted back to this stitch! My mistake was realised only once I began joining the squares together, and though it's not a massive problem the reason a puff stitch suits beret making is the fact it creates a slightly domed rather than a flat fabric and so my little granny squares have created more of a lumpy (or as I have been referring to it nippily) fabric than I had desired, but heck it's just as cozy!

After crocheting 24 squares I got a bit bored and so decided to just get cracking and start joining them together (which I did 2 New Years Eves ago). I then to make the blanket a more useful size I decided to encompass the squares with rows of double crochet, mostly using black but occasionally adding a couple of rows of one of the colourful yarns from the centre, I think it's worked out quite well it's certainly striking and the border thankfully has certainly helped to flatten down the puffy squares a little.

And that was how it was left for 2 more years (I don't like to rush anything!). It was only on New Years day, this year that I finally added my last few rows of black to the border and then added the pink scalloped edging, which is something my mum showed me how to do and I must say finally makes me feel like I might have a hope of getting better at this crochet malarkey!

Now it's finally finished I am rather in love with it, I just adore how striking it is it and it's certainly helped brighten up a rather dull beige sofa! In hindsight I wish I had made it just a little bigger, so that I could swathe myself in it on chilly evenings, but it fits the sofa nicely and keeps my knees warm while watching TV and plotting my next project, and lets face it seeing as it's taken me five years to get this far I think I should count my blessings that it even covers my knees!